Automatic sprinkler.



G. ZINT.

AUTOMATlC SPRINKLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I3, 1914'.

Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. ZINT.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I3, I9I4.

1,146,220 Patented. July 13, 1915. 3 SHEETS-SHE'ET Z.

75 v v 6 p /6 null] II I i n Memo I I G. ZINT.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

APPLICATION mm Aue.l3. 1914.

1,146,228. Patented'July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEETS.-

FFICE.

GEORGE ZINT, OF WAPAKONETA, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August 13, 1914. Serial No. 856,601. I

to which it appertains to make and use the same. V

This invention relates to improvements in prescribed area that isdesired to be irri-' gated by sprinkling.

The object of the invention 1s to provlde a sprinkler which is operatedautomatically by the impulse or force of the fluid medium carriedthereby and which will evenly distribute the water over a large area andwhich will not clog up. Another object is to provide a revolublesprinkler equipped with means for causing it to reciprocateautomatically and the stroke of which may be varied at will to water alarger or smaller area as may be desired.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangementohparts as will be more fully described and claimed. In the accompanyingdrawings: Figure 1' represents a plan view of a'sprinklerembodying oneform of this invention; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of thisimproved sprinkler; Fig. 3 is'an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5is a vertical section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is asimilar view taken in a plane at right angles to Fig. 5 and on thelined-6 ofFig. 1; Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section taken on theline 77 of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the clutchshaft; Fig. 9 is a similar view of the clutch; Fig.

10 is a detail bottom plan view showing the s ring for holding theclutch member ofl' ead center. Fig. 11 is a detail transverse sectionshowing anothermanner -@f mounting the nozzle or pet cock; Fig. 12 is adetail perspective view showing a slightly different manner of mountingthe pin which controls the oscillatory movement of the sprinkler.

In the embodiment illustrated a supporting base 1 is shown which may beof any desired or suitable construction and is here illustrated in theform of a hollow concavoconvex member which is provided with an opening2 in the top thereof in which the device to be described is designed tobe mounted, and with which a coupling member 3 is Y Patented July 13,1915.

connected said coupling being designed for engagement with a hose orother supply pipe. 7 Y

In Figs. 1 to '5, a sprinkler is shown in which two nozzles 5 and 6 areemployed, the

smaller one 5 for supplying water under pressure to drive the actuatingmechanism of the sprinkler and the larger one 6 for spraying thesurrounding area to be irrigated. The smaller actuating nozzle 5 may bein the form of a pet cook or simply a drill hole of sufficient size tosupply the necessary amount of water for driving the sprinkler actuatingmechanism as will be hereinafter described. These nozzles 5 and 6 arerevolubly mounted on a casting 7 having a fitting 8 forthreadedengagement with the socket 2 of the supporting base 1. This casting 7 has a bore extending therethrough which is enlarged at its upperor outer end to provide a shoulder 9 and the enlarged portion thereofisinternall threaded to re- "from and extending at right angles to thenozzles and is adapted to extend through the coupling member 10 and torevolve therein. This stem 13which has an annular stop 14: on its freeend, after being passed and 6, being secured thereto in any suitable ordesired manner, the stop 14 serving to through the coupling member 10 isconnected with the casting carrying the nozzles 5 the flange 11 on themember between which and the outer end of said casting 7 said worm gearis held against turning. This worm gear is mounted in an annular casing16, the lower wall of which is preferably detachably connected to ermitthe parts to be separated and remove when desired. A bracket 17 extendslaterally from this casing 16 and has supported thereon an upright shaft18 carrying a driving wheel 19 having a'plurality of radially extendingblades 20 positioned in the path of the nozzle 5 and against which thewater discharged through said nozzle is adapted to impinge for rotatinsaid wheel and actuating the sprinkler in a manner now to be described.A worm 21 is carried by this shaft 18 and meshes with a worm gear 22carried by a shaft 23 mounted in a bracket supported by the casing 16,said shaft 23 extending in a plane at right angles to the shaft 18. Thisshaft 23 is provided with spur gears 24 and 25 spaced apart thereon, thegear 24 being adapted to mesh with a cooperating gear 26 on a parallelshaft 27 also supported by the bracket carrying the shaft 23 and whichis here shown mounted in a plane below said shaft 23. The gear 25 mesheswith an idler gear28 mounted on a stub shaft 29 projecting laterallyfrom said bracket. This idler fear meshes with a gear 30 loosely mounteon the shaft 27 and through which motion may be imparted to said shaft27. This shaft 27 also carries aworm 31 positioned to mesh with thelarger worm gear 15, a portion of the casing 16 being cut away toprovide for the meshing of this worm with said gear and by means ofwhich the gear 15 rotates. the casing 16 and all of the parts carriedthereby are revolved.

An apertured plate 32 is mounted on the bracket 17 and the aperturethereof is positioned to receive a stem 33 which depends from thecasting carrying the nozzles 5 and 6 whereby said nozzles are connectedwith the casing 16 and adapted to revolve therewith. This plate 32 ispreferably adjustably mounted on the bracket to vary the position of thenozzle 5 in respect to the blades of the driving wheel so that a greateror less quantity of water may be discharged onto said blades as desired,thereby regulating the speed of said wheel and consequently the turningof the sprinkler. As shown this plate 32 is longitudinally slotted asshown at 32 and has a depending apertured arm 32 at its outer end. Ascrew 32 extends through the slot 32' into bracket 17 for adjusting saidplate to vary the position of the nozzle 5 relatively. to the blades ofwheel 19. j

A depending apertured ear 17 depends from bracket 17 and the aperturetherein is threaded and registers with the aperture in threaded aperturein said ear 1 arm 32 and said apertures are designed te receive a lateadjustin screw, or bolt 32, the threa ed portion 0 which en. ageshe eeFig. 5). A collar or flange. 32, is fixed to the bolt 32 about midwaythe ends there of and between which and the flanged head 32 of said boltis mounted the arm 32, the bolt extending through the aperture in saidarm and on the turning of the bolt said arm is moved toward or away fromthe bracket arm 17 and hence adjusts the plate 32 and adapted to bemoved thereon for engagement with either of the gears 26 or 30 carriedby said shaft and which are provided on their inner faces with clutchmembers for cooperation with the clutch member 34 when shifted intoengagement therewith. The outer face of this sleeve is preferably madeangular as shown in Fig. 8 and the bore of the member 34 is shaped tocorrespond therewith (see Fig. 9). The bracket in which this shaft 27 ismounted has a horizontal plate which extends under said shaft and islongitudinally slotted as shown at 35. Engaged with the clutch element34 is a bifurcated member 36 which has a depending shank 37 extendingthrough the slot 35 into the path of a horizontally movable clutchshifting member 38 now to be described. This clutch shifting member 38is stud by a collar 41 here shown held in operative position by a setscrew. Extending radially from the sleeve 39. are two arms 42 and 43spaced a suitable distance apart to alternately engage the shank 37 ofthe clutch member for shifting the clutch 34 in opposite directions tobring it into engagement with the car 26 or 30 as may be desired. Theshifting of this clutch into engagement with one or the other of thesegears reverses the direction of movement of the large worm gear 15thereby reversing the direction of movement of the sprinkler. The arm 43has an extension 44 in the free end of which is pivotally mounted anactuating handle 45 adapted when in raised position, to extend inalinement with said arm 43 and when turned downwardly in a plane atright angles to said arm, to engage adjustable stops 46 and 47 carriedby the casting 7 on the turning of the sprinkler, thereby rotating thesleeve 39 and shifting the clutch for reversing the direction of thesprinkler. For instance, when the sprinkler turns in one direction, ascient distance sprinkler to reciprocate horizontally backthe sprinkler.

to bring the handle 45 into engagement with the stop 46, the continuedmovement of said sprinkler will cause the handle and the arm by which itis carried to turn inwardly and thus bring said arm into engagement withthe depending shank 37 of the clutch 36 and shift the clutchlongitudinally on the shaft 27 to disengage it from the gear 30 and moveit into engagement with the gear 26 thereby reversing the movement ofthe shaft 27 and consequently of the casing 16 and the parts carriedthereby The casing 16 will then continue to revolve in the oppositedirection carrying with it the parts connected therewith until saidhandle 45 contacts with the other stop 47 when the clutch will be againshifted to throw it into engagement with the gear 30 and thus reversethe direction of movement of the sprinkler.

The sleeve 39 has two flat faces 39' and 39 here shown disposed at rightangles to each other and which are designed to be engaged alternately bya spring 17 to hold the clutch always off the dead center (see Figs.

4, 5 and 10). Any suitable spring may be employed for continuouslyexertlng pressure on one or the other of the faces 39 or 39".

From the above description, it will be obvious that the flowing of thewater through the nozzle 5 will thus cause the and forth and thus spraythe water through nozzle 6 over a semi-circular area, the reciprocatorystroke of the sprinkler may be varied by changing the positions of thestops 46 and 47 on the casting 7 which may be accomplished by simplymoving said stops in the desired direction, whereby the stroke of thesprinkler may be made larger or smaller as desired. These stops areshown frictionally engaged with the casting 7 but they may be mountedthereon in any other suitable manner.

If desired, the sprinkler may be rotated in circular courses and whenthis is desired, the handle 45 of the clutch'operating lever is turnedoutward in alinement with the arm 43 and is thus positioned out of thepath of the stops 46 and 47 and consequently the clutch will not beoperated and the sprinkler will revolve in a circular path.

In order to control the speed of the sprinkler, a suitable governor isprovided which is here shown in the form of a centrifugal governor andcomprises a collar 50 fixedly mounted on an extension 51 of the shaft 18which carries the driving wheel of The governor'is provided with pairsof radially projecting bearing lugs 52 between each pair of which ispivotally mounted a weight supportin arm 53 having on one end a weight54 and having rounded inner corners which are adapted to be engaged withthe conical or tapered inner face of a brake disk 55 which is slidablyand loosely mounted on the shaft extension 51. The disk 55 is normallyheld in yielding engagement with the arms 53 by a coil spring 56arranged on the shaft extension 51 between said disk and the lower faceof the bracket which supports saidshaft.

The disk 55 is adapted to be forced laterally by the engagingends of thearms 53 and into engagement with a brake shoe 57 which is secured to theinner end of an ad- 7 justing screw 58 arranged in the adjacent whenrevolved by said driving wheel, impart a centrifugal action to theweighted arms 53, thus causing the inner ends thereof to move the brakedisk 55 into more or less forcible engagement with the brake shoe,thereby retarding the movement of the governor shaft and consequently ofthe power transmitting shaft of which it forms an extension so that byregulating the position of the brake shoe, the speed of the sprinklermay be controlled.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an automatic sprinkler, a nozzle, revoluble fluid actuated meansfor revolving said nozzle, said fluid actuated means being disposedinthe path of the fluid discharged from said nozzle, the said nozzlerevolving means including a train of gears actuated revoluble fluidactuated means for revolving said nozzle, said fluid actuated meansbeing disposed in the path of the fluid discharged from said nozzle,said nozzle revolving means including a-train of gears actuated by saidfluid actuating means, a clutch for reversing said gears to change thedirection of movement of said nozzle, said clutch having a dependingstem, a laterally movable element positioned to engage said stem forshifting said clutch, and means disposed in the path of'said element forinterrupting its movement at predetermined intervals and therebyshifting said clutch to reverse the direction of movement of the nozzle.

3. In ,an automatic sprinkler, a nozzle, revoluble fluid actuated meansfor revolving said nozzle, said fluid .actuated means being disposed inthe path of the fluid discharged from said nozzle, said nozzle revolvingmeans including a train of gears actuated by said fluid actuatingmeans-for operating said glozzle revolving means, a clutch tor rever ingsaid gears to change the direction of movement of said nozzle, andadjustable arms disposed in the path of said element for interruptingits movement at predetermined intervals and thereby shifting said clutchto reverse the direction of movement of the nozzle.

4. In an automatic s rinkl'er, a coupling for connection with a uidsupply, a nozzle revolubly carried by said coupling, a Worm gear fixedlymounted on said coupllng, a casing encircling said gear, a driving Wheelcarried by said casing and having blades positioned in the path of saidnozzle, aworm on the shaft of said driving Wheel, a Worm gear meshingwith said Worm, a train of gears actuated by said Worm gear, a clutchfor changing the direction of movement of said train of gears, and meansfor actuating said clutch at predetermined intervals.

5. In an automatic sprinkler, a coupling for connection with a fluidsupply, a nozzle revolubly carried by said coupling, avvorm carried bysaid casing and having blades positioned in the path of said nozzle, aWorm on the shaft of said driving Wheel, a Worm gear meshing With saidWorm, a train of gears actuated by said Worm gear, a clutch for changingthe direction of movement of said train of gears, means for actuatingsaid clutch at predetermined intervals, said means comprising alaterally movable spring pressed member, a stem carried by said clutchprojecting into the path of said laterally movable member, and means foractuating said member at predetermined intervals whereby the clutch isshifted alternately in opposite directions.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tWosubscribing Wit- Witnesses:

C. A. STUEVE, SARAH WATERs,

